PAPillow™ Receives Final Patent Approval

Minneapolis, Minnesota - October 11, 2005

Co-Inventors Elizabeth Johns and Tracy Nasca report final patent approval for the PAPillow, a bed pillow designed as a compliance aide for CPAP users.  CPAP is a medical device used for the treatment of sleep apnea.

Johns and Nasca, both sleep apnea patients, suffered the same common compliance problems of mask leak and facial discomfort caused from wearing a mask while side sleeping.  Four years ago, they teamed to solve the problem by developing what ultimately became known as the PAPillow.

Nasca is Senior VP of Talk About Sleep, Inc and also owns and operates Advocates For Sleep, a patient to patient mentoring program. She considers herself a sleep activist with a personal mission to provide positive support to fellow patients who struggle with sleep issues. Through her organization, she works to encourage more people to seek diagnosis; making herself and her dedicated support staff available to assist them in achieving a successful treatment outcome. She travels the country promoting sleep awareness and education from the patient perspective.

Nasca says, "in addition to solving the common compliance problem for CPAP users, the PAPillow is also being sold and used for dental applications.  Children and adults who wear braces, people who use night time dental appliances, patients who wear nasal cannula and post surgical patients who should side sleep are finding PAPillow a comfortable solution to an uncomfortable problem." She went on to say, "every week we hear from more and more happy PAPillow users who sleep better because of our pillow. What started as a CPAP pillow is now seen as more mainstream ."

Nasca goes on to say, "the hotel industry is recognizing the importance of good sleep and now offers superior mattress systems, better sleeping pillows, some even offer in room CD s with calming music to help one fall asleep. We would like to see the PAPillow available in hotel settings to accommodate any sleeper, but especially the traveling CPAP user. We encourage our readers to ask for the PAPillow at your hotel when traveling".

PAPillow co-inventor Elizabeth Johns said what started out as a stubborn determination to solve her own sleeping comfort problems has benefited others in ways she could have never anticipated. John's thirty year career managing residential and vocational programs for disabled adults included the establishment of a sewing factory in 1990 specializing in sewing for the US Department of Defense.  National Industries for the Severely Handicapped (NISH) has repeatedly recognized the small rural non-profit agency for quality performance in meeting strict military specifications under the Javits Wagoner O'Day Program. 

Her own seasoned workforce was ideally suited to manufacture the PAPillow, providing quality workmanship for the consumer, and paychecks for workers with disabilities.  Bringing the PAPillow into the sewing factory started a chain of events that still amazes Johns; as staff and visitors asked about the purpose behind the PAPillow, Johns found herself frequently explaining sleep apnea and cpap treatment.  "The PAPillow became a conversation starter that ultimately led undiagnosed sufferers to seek treatment". Now, many of the production staff sewing the PAPillow are also sleeping on it while using their new CPAP machines"

PAPillow displays at various conferences always draw a crowd with questions about sleep apnea.  Johns soon found herself being called on for presentations, including local health associations and magazine interviews. She has appeared on television specials as a featured guest to share her personal sleep apnea story. Elizabeth serves on the NIH Sleep Disorders Research Advisory Board as a patient advocate and is part of the apnea support staff at Talk About Sleep, Inc.

Johns takes every opportunity to advise both professional and family care-givers of persons with Down's Syndrome of the high incidence of Obstructive Sleep Apnea in that population, and encourages them to discuss screening and referral for sleep studies with their physicians.

Join the thousands of people who have benefited by using the PAPillow.  They are offered for sale online at www.talkaboutsleep.com and also at local home health and durable medical equipment suppliers across the United States .